


after the fires and the floods

by linderella



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Fluff fest, Found Family, M/M, Peace, after the war, finn and poe in love, finn rey and poe happy, just friends vibing, seeing the ocean for the first time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:01:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21736486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/linderella/pseuds/linderella
Summary: They’d linked arms, all three of them, friends in a universe balanced. There was heaviness to it, the death of so many Resistance fighters looming. But there was also a weight off of Finn’s back. They’d survived. Against all odds.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn
Comments: 4
Kudos: 102





	after the fires and the floods

**Author's Note:**

> pumping this our before tros yup........*oscar isaac voice* this one's for all you finnpoe people

Finn wakes up in a bunk on the Millenium Falcon groggy and warm. For a moment, he is unsure of where he is; then, he feels Poe’s hands around his waist, the tip of his nose pressed into the back of Finn’s neck. And Finn remembers it all, and can’t help but sigh in relief.

He joints ache from the running, from the physical exertion of it all. He knows he’s covered in small gashes from the shards of twisted steel he’d crawled over. Everything seems like a fiery mess, one where he’d been separated from Poe and Rey at the end of it all. He’d had his eyes on the sky the entire time, heart racing every time he saw an X-wing spiraling out of the sky. Was that Poe? Did Finn make a mistake letting him go?

And Rey had been gone for hours, facing an agonizing pain and exertion that Finn can’t ever understand. She’d stood alone, against Kylo Ren’s unending fury and vengeance. And the darkest Lord to ever roam the galaxy. And she’d  _ done _ it. She’d done it alone, and when Finn had finally collapsed into her arms again, she said that it was over. She’d said she’d felt the shift in the Force, and Finn was never very good with all the talk of the Force. But somehow, he could feel it too. 

And the war was over. Poe had landed safely, his eyes frantic as soon as he’d taken off his helmet. He told Finn later that for a moment, he was afraid Finn hadn’t made it. But then he turned around and there Finn was, running toward him like the first time he’d seen him alive on D’Qar. But this time, the euphoria was mixed with an attachment so deep Finn knew it would tie them together forever. Finn was crying the second he’d seen his wild eyes and curls, didn’t believe it until he touched him.

They’d linked arms, all three of them, friends in a universe balanced. There was heaviness to it, the death of so many Resistance fighters looming. But there was also a weight off of Finn’s back. They’d survived. Against all odds.

And so here Finn was, aboard the Millenium Falcon and heading towards home. Except the base isn’t really home, or at least not anymore. There is more to do than Finn has ever thought possible. There’s hundreds of jobs that need to be done, but not today. Today, they are free.

Finn relaxes back into Poe’s arms, taking in his scent. He smells like oil and leather, still marked from the battle. Finn knows he probably smells like sweat and blood, but he can’t bring himself to move.  _ Five more minutes _ , He thinks.  _ I will soak him in. _

Finn closes his eyes.

*

Finn wakes up to an empty bunk, but before he can panic he notices Poe is across the room. He’s changing his clothes, but the ones he is putting on are not his. He must have found them on the Falcon. He has clean pants on, and in one hand is holding a white shirt. Finn nearly sinks into the mattress at the sight of him, grinning at his bronzed skin and the hair across his chest. He is nicked all over, bruises and cuts and Finn thinks he is beautiful.

“Are you finally awake?” Poe jokes, his eyebrow raised. Finn smiles even harder at the words, soaking this in. The domestic feeling of Poe getting dressed, laughing at Finn with love in his eyes. This is what every day can be like, now. No more dangerous missions and pain and fear. No more First Order. “Time to wake up, we’re back.”

Poe crosses the room, a smile on his lips. He kneels across the bed, and presses a kiss to Finn’s mouth. Finn raises himself up on his elbows to meet him, his heart feeling warm enough to explode. Poe rests one of his calloused hands to Finn’s side. His ribs are a bit bruised, but Poe’s touch is gentle enough that it doesn’t hurt. 

“They’re waiting for us,” Poe says finally, his eyelids heavy and face flushed. Finn reaches up and presses his fingers into the hollow of his cheek, breathing in the moment before he finally gets up.

“We won,” Finn whispers, and he feels tears already thick in his throat and welling up in his eyes. He has never known a universe without war, never known anything but this fight. He has been free from the First Order for five years. Since then, he’s experienced everything from the height of euphoria and burning desire to knee-buckling grief. And Finn realizes, the blazes set alight from the First Order will never again torment the galaxy. Life can get  _ better. _ He never knew it possible. He musters all his strength to add, “Poe, we did it.”

Poe’s eyes are welling with tears that mirror Finn’s. And his eyes wander to Finn’s bare chest, the chain around his neck. Unharmed, a gift from Poe after they’d gone together on a mission neither of them expected to get out of alive. A promise, Poe had called it. 

“We did.” Is Poe’s reply.

*

Back at the base, many surviving Resistance Fighters are already packing their things. Off to build better lives, to raise children without fear of a looming shadow that wants them for Stormtroopers. Finn wonders if his mother and father would have been here if the First Order had never killed them. It’s a sick feeling in his gut, a longing for a mother he’ll never know. But it is a past he cannot change. 

When Finn sees Rey, he is reminded of the ordeal she has gone through. But she is not heavy or sad. Instead, she smiles more than Finn has ever seen her. She has a curving angry red slash across her cheek, one Finn already knows will scar. He knows his own marks from this war, on across his back. Rey’s matches his own.

“There’s going to be a celebration,” Rey tells them later while they sit together in the jungle outside the base. There is much to be done, but not today. Today is their day. “Across the entire galaxy.”

Poe’s head is resting in Finn’s lap, his eyes closed while Finn runs his fingers absentmindedly through Poe’s curls. He’s almost purring at the touch, leaning into it. Finn loves him so much. His smile twists at Rey’s words, and Finn knows it means he’s planning something.

“All over the galaxy?” Poe asks, one eye open to look at Rey.

Rey nods. “It’s something worth celebrating, isn’t it?” Her brilliant smile is back, one Finn never wants to leave her again. Poe nods when she says this, agreeing. He sits up from Finn’s lap, a glint of something Finn recognizes in his eyes.

“How do you feel about making a little leisure trip?” Poe asks, grinning. Finn and Rey both look at him with equal amounts of confusion and curiosity, and Finn feels like flying when he realizes that in this new world,  _ they can _ .

And so, that’s how they find themselves back on the Falcon for the second time that day. Poe tells a few of his friends that he’ll be back before the next morning, and mentions something to them about taking Finn and Rey to a place called Kaladria. Finn doesn’t recognize the name, has never even heard of it. While Poe is finishing up talking to his friend Suralinda, Finn looks to Rey.

“Have you heard of the planet before?” He asks, buzzing with excitement. Rey shakes her head.

“Never,” She all but whispers. “But the galaxy abounds in beauty, you know. We couldn’t live enough days to even see a quarter of it all.”

It’s something about how she says it, Finn thinks. There’s an expectation underneath her words, a hope they’ve never dared to have before. That they’ll grow old, that they’ll see as much of the galaxy as possible. It is beautiful.

*

Kaladria is a planet that reminds Finn of the best parts of every planet he’s visited before, all stitched together into one. Poe wants to show them the stretches of sand that touch the planet’s spacious oceans. The sky above is a pale pink, reflecting onto the water a deep purple. Once they’ve landed in the lush forests that surround the oceans, Poe leads them toward the smell of salt and life. Finn and Rey follow behind him, their hands linked. Finn thinks back to when he first met Rey, how she’d been so reluctant to trust him. Now, there is some beyond that, something deeper than even the closest sureness. Now, they are two friends sharing their excitement. Finn wonders for a moment if the Force gives her insight into his thoughts. He’s not sure, but in case it does, he makes sure to repeat how much he loves her in his mind. She’s his best friend.

When the trees finally break over, Finn can hardly breathe at the sight. They stand on a high, black cliff above the ocean and stretches of sand below them. There’s not a soul in front of them. The water laps in layers onto the shore, calm.

When their feet finally touch the black sands of the beach, Poe immediately takes off his shoes. Finn isn’t sure if he’s supposed to also, but Rey is kicking off her boots and running after Poe as her toes sink into the ground. Finn removes his own Resistance issued boots, the only shoes he has. As soon as his feet touch the sand, he feels the cool sand sink beneath him. He holds his breath.

In front of him, the ocean expands on so far Finn can’t see where it ends. He has never seen an ocean like this. He’s seen them from above on missions and he’s seen lakes, but he’s never stood on a beach with his feet in the sand, the horizon at eye level. It’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen, the colors melting together in a way that feels infinite. The 3 moons in the sky are rising.

Finn realizes, in a moment, his face is wet. Rey and Poe stand a few steps ahead, watching him expectantly. Neither move to say anything, they just wait. Finally, Finn lets out a watery exhale.

*

They spend the rest of the day laughing so hard, Finn’s bruised ribs feel like they’ve gone through an intense workout. Finn spends his time looking out at the water, and finally the desire to feel it gives in. 

“I’m going to swim,” Finn declares, already stripping off his shirt. Poe laughs, doing the same. Rey shakes her head at the idea, explaining that she’d rather stay dry.

Poe is surprised he knows how to swim. To be fair, he hasn’t since Stormtrooper simulations, clad in his white armor that weighed him down. Swimming without it is easier and lighter, freer. Evening is approaching quickly, and Finn wonders if Poe is going to want to leave soon to visit whatever celebration the locals are having. Finn doesn’t want to say anything, but he wants to stay. He never wants to leave this ocean.

When they’d finally waded out to their waists, Poe stops. His curls are wet against his forehead, the water shining on his shoulders and chest. Finn can’t help but look him over, his shining glory.

Poe raises one of his eyebrows. “Are you checking me out?”   


Finn feels his face heat up. “Obviously.”

Poe laughs, and takes a step closer to Finn so their chests are almost pressed together. Finn’s only a tilt of his head away from kissing him, and he can hardly resist the urge to press their mouths together. Instead, he lets himself breathe Poe in, reminds himself he’s alive and they’re here.

“Finn?” Poe whispers, his voice suddenly serious. His pupils are blown wide, and Finn feels a sort of pride knowing it’s because of him. “Hey. I love you.”

Finn finally gives in to his desire, kissing Poe long and slow. When he finally pulls back from him, he speaks almost as if on command. “I would do anything for you, Poe.”

Poe nods, pressing their foreheads together. Finn can’t even bring himself to feel bashful about Rey watching them touch like this, can’t resist the tenderness that comes with the way Finn has learned that Poe loves. He loves in the same way he flies, fiery but also easily. The way he curves around in the air is so smooth, it’s almost gentle. He loves Finn in the same way. It’s a marvel of its own, and it rivals every sunrise and ocean Finn’s ever seen.

“Remember when you gave me this?” Finn asks, and lifts the ring from the spot on his neck to the palm of his hand. Poe nods. “You said it was a promise.”

“Yeah.”

“What kind?” Finn asks, and he thinks he probably already knows, but he wants to hear it. Poe smiles.

“The kind that means every day can be like this, forever,” Poe explains, his palm pressed against Finn’s chest so the chain is beneath it. “And it means that there’s never going to be another day where we aren’t together.”

Finn grins. “Sounds serious.”

“Oh,” Poe nods, jaw set. “It’s serious. And it’s sort of a lifelong deal, if you don’t mind it.”

Finn raises his eyebrows, surprised. “Are you asking me?”

“Of course I’m asking you,” Poe brings his hand up to Finn’s face. “You don’t have to.”

Finn brings his hand up to hold Poe’s on his face. He kisses the back of it, then presses another kiss to Poe’s mouth. “That long, huh?”

Poe presses his lips together. “As long as you want.”

“Good,” Finn says. “I think it’s going to be a while.”

Poe smiles.

*

When they finally return to the beach, Rey has gone above and beyond to create a fortress out of the sand. Finn wonders if somehow she’s cheated at this whole sand building thing, but figures he doesn’t have to ask. Nightfall has come, but the moons in the sky light everything silver and bright. They sit together, knees pulled to their chest and eyes on the horizon. They wait, and Finn wonders what Poe thinks will happen. 

Finally, in a moment, the sky above them and across the ocean bursts with light and color. Finn is so shocked he grabs Rey’s hand at the same time she reaches for his, and they watch as the sky explodes with sound.

“This is the celebration,” Poe explains. “Or, from afar. They’re fireworks.”

They watch together as the sky fills with colors, red and green and yellow. No one takes their eyes off the sky once, except the few times Finn finds himself sneaking glances at Poe. A few times, he catches Poe looking back.

_ All the time _ , Finn thinks.  _ It can stay like this, forever.  _

He knows it will. 

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on twitter @stardustpoe


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